Mammals

This large, graceful-looking gazelle is remarkable chiefly for its long neck (gerenuk means giraffenecked in Somali) and for its long legs. It has a small, narrow head, large eyes and mobile lips, there are tuffs of hair on the knees, and the short.

The largest of the anteaters, this species lives in relatively open countryside and relies on its amazingly long tongue and powerful claws to obtain its food. Giant anteaters tend to be more terrestrial than their smaller relatives.

The largest of its family, the giant armadillo may weigh up to 132 lb (60 kg). It is nocturnal and shelters by day in burrows dug with the mighty claws on its forefeet. Most of the burrows are dug into the side of termite mounds. They also dig to get at their prey.

The largest of the African pigs, the giant forest hog has a huge elongate head, a heavy body and rather long legs for its family. Its muzzle is broad, and there are glandular swellings in the skin under its eyes and across its cheeks.

As its name suggests, this is the biggest member of the weasel family in terms of size, but it has the shortest fur of any otter. The giant otter is the largest mustelid in the world, although it is not as heavy as the sea otter.

The giant otter shrew is a relative of the Malagasy tenrecs, but it lives on the African mainland. It occupies wetlands and streams that run through the rainforests of Central Africa. The giant otter shrew swims with its tail, which is flattened to form a vertical flipper.

This type of mammal specialize in eating ants and termites, but recent scientific work has shown that, although aardvarks and pangolins share some superficial resemblance and behaviour, they do not have common ancestry.

The 9 species of gibbons are found in Southeast Asia, Sumatra, Java and Borneo. Like the apes, gibbons lack an external tail and have a protruding jaw. The gibbons are agile, slender primates weighing between 11 and 28 lb (5 and 13 kg).

The giraffe family is a specialized offshoot of the deer family. It probably originated in the Old World and is now reduced to only 2 species, both found in Africa. Both animals have unique, skin-covered, blunt horns, which are not shed.

One of the most colourful of all monkeys, the golden lion tamarin has suffered from the extensive deforestation of its forest habitat, and is now considered endangered. The wild golden lion tamarin population had fallen to about 100 by the early 1980s.